Garment and like press



1360- 1953 J. SIMPSON, JR

GARMENT AND LIKE PRESS 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 17 Dec. 29, 1953 J. SIMPSON, JR 2,663,955

GARMENT AND LIKE PRESS Filed April 17, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. SIMPSON, JR GARMENT AND LIKE PRESS Dec. 29, 1953 Filed April 17 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 29, 1953 J, SIMPSON, JR 2,663,955

GARMENT AND LIKE PRESS Filed April 17, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 29, 1953 GARMENT AND LIKE PRESS John Simpson, Jr., Luton, England, asslgnor to John Simpsonand John Simpson, Jr., Luton,

England Y Application April 17, 1950, Serial No. 156,241

Claims priority, application Great April 19, 1949 10 Claims.

tables which can be brought in turn into the pressing position. Known presses of this kind comprise a fixed press head and a vertically movable ram by which the table in position is raised to press an article against the head, the tables and head being steam heated. Generally the ram is operated by fluid pressure, whereas the tablecarrier is turned by'hand. However, it has already been proposed that the carrier should be turned by fluid pressure. Thus, in United States patent application Serial No. 7,628, filed February 11, 1943, it is suggested that the carrier should be turned by fluid pressure always in the same direction of rotation and that the cycle of each individual pressing operation should be separately initiated and automatically completed in response to a single action by the operator, such action consistin in the same operation of a single control device for each cycle. .An object of the present inventionisjto provide a'press of the kind set forth which is free from elaborate mechanical linkage or other mechanism. 7

According to the invention, in a press of the kind set forth, the communication of fluid pres-. sure to both the;ram. and the carrier-turning means, and also advantageously to other operating elements, is controlled by a selector valve which is moved to one position to, initiate the cycle and is moved to another position automatically, in dependence upon the position of the carrier, to complete the.cyc1e. Preferably these movements of the selector valve are efiected under the control of a pedal-operated valve and a carrier-influenced valve respectively. Another element which can also be controlled by way of the single selector valve is aclutch-actuating device. A device for returning carrier-turning gear and a pedal-returning device may be controlled indirectly by the selector valve.

One manner of, carrying the invention into eflect will now be more fully described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partially in section, of

a garment press, I

Fig. 2 a section on the line IIII in Fig.1,

Fig. 3 a vertical section to a. larger scale through i the selector valve and carrier-influenced valve,

Fig. 4 a vertical' section to a larger scale through the pedal-retum device; Fi 5 a e at on to a ar er scale of part or Britain the rocker, controlling the carrier-influenced valve, as seen from the right-hand side of Fig. 1

Fig. 6 a plan view of the rocker,

Fig. 7 a vertical section to a larger scale through the clutch arrangement, and

Fig. 3 a section on the line VIII--VIII in Fig. '7.

The press illustrated is similar in construction and general operation to that described in the above-mentioned specification and comprises a base I, a press head 2 and a rotary table carrier 3. The base I houses a cylinder 4 for the piston 5 of a ram 6. The head 2, provided with means (not shown) for the circulation of heating steam, is supported from the base I by goose-neck columns 1. Two tables 8 are carried in the ends of the arms 9 of the carrier 3 b means of stems I 0 which are guided in and extend below the said arms. The carrier 3 is supported by a bearing structure II which projects from the base I and comprises an arrangement (not shown) for the inlet and exhaust of steam circulated through the tables 8. This arrangement may be of the nature described in the British Patent No. 643,270. An externally toothed ring I2 situated above the bearing structure II is connected to the carrier 3.

The control means consists essentially of a selector valve I3 controlling both the movement of the ram 6 and the turning of the carrier 3, as well as other elements as hereinafter described, a pedal-operated valve I4 for causing movement of the selector valve I3 in one direction and a valve I5 operated in dependence upon the position of the carrier 3 for causing movement of the said valve I3 in the opposite direction.

The selector valve l3, conveniently disposed under the cylinder 4, comprises a. piston valve (Fig.3) with a head I6, having bucket leathers I I, directed outwardly and inwardly ofthe cylinder, at one end and a head I 8 possessing a smaller area and having an outwardly directed bucket leather I9 near the other end. The heads I6, I8,

with their respective leathers, serve both as driving pistons and also to control ports. An intermediate port-controlling head 20 of the same size as the'head I6 has a bucket leather 2| directed towards the head I6, 1. e. so as to hold air pressure between the heads I6, 20. A port 22 in the cylindrical wall of the valve and permanently in communication with the air-pressure supply pipe 23 opens between the heads I 6 20. A ring of ports 24 located in the said wall and communicating with the cylinder 4 by way of an annular passage 24 and duct 24 are'lcontrolled by the head 20. In the L. H. endposition of the valve shown in Fig. 3, these ports 24 are uncovered and 3 pressure is communicated to the cylinder 4. In the R. H. end position, the cylinder 4 is connected to atmosphere through exhaust ports 25 and exhaust silencers 26. Communication of pressure to chambers 21, 28 at the ends of the valve through ports 29, 36 is'controlled by the valves M and I respectively, as hereinafter described.

There is also a port 3!, communicating with a.

carrier-turning cylinder 32 by a pipe 33 (Fig. 2), which, under the control of the head [8, is connected to pressure via port 29 inthe R. H. end position and to exhaust via ports 25 in the L. H. end position. Finally, there is a port 34, controlled by the head l6, which communicates by a pipe 35 with the cylinder 36 of a clutch-disengaging device hereinafter described. A head, 31 on the valve co-acts with a resilient pad 31' which serves quietly to arrest movement of the valve to the left.

The pedal-operated valve I4 is a piston valve (Figs. 1 and 2) with two heads 33 having inwardly directed leathers and is loaded by a spring 39. A port 46 communicates with the L. H. end of the selector valve l3 and with the valve |5 by way of a pipe 4| and chamber 42 from which branch connections 43 and 44. A port 45 is connected to the air supply by way of a pipe 46 branched from the duct 23. In the depressed position of the pedal 41, that is with the piston heads 38 in the R. H. end position, the port 49 is in communication with the supply port 45. In the other position of the pedal 41 (Figs. 1 and 2), the port 49 is cut off from the supply port 45 and put in communication with an exhaust port 43. The pedal 41, which is made wide to enable the operator to depress it and, if necessary, restore it from a variety of positions, is coupled to the rod 49 of the valve by a link 56 which passes through a dead-centre position when the pedal is depressed, so that the pedal is held in that position by the action of the spring .3 9. For automatically tripping the pedal 411, sothat it can be restored to its initial position with the assistance of the spring 39, the piston 5| (Fig. 4) of a small return cylinder 52 is arranged to be engaged by the depressed pedal. Pressure air is supplied to the cylinder 52 by way of a pipe 53, as hereinafter described. I.

The carrier-influenced valve I5 comprises a vertically disposed piston valve (Fig. 3) with a slidably guided upper portion 54, an intermediate downwardly directed bucket leather 55 and .a lower portion 56 working through a pot leather 51. The air pipe 44 opens by way of a port 56 into the space 59 between the two leathers 55, 5'! and the pressure, when present, urges the valve upwardly against the resistance of a compression spring 66 (Fig. 1) acting on an adjustable push rod 6| which bears on a head 62 of the valve body. The ring of ports 36 communicating with the chamber 28 of the selector valve l3 opens into an annular passage 63. Exhaust is provided for by ports 64. The valve illustrated allows of a large flow of air without the necessity for ex cessively large ports which would damage the passing leathers, whilst the upward thrust to which the valve is subject is only moderate. However, other arrangements, for example two heads with bucket leathers, but of difierent areas, could be employed. The valve is normally held in its lowermost position by a rocker 65 which is rotatable about a vertical pivot 66 mounted in the cylinder 4 and which has a hardened pad 61 (Figs. 5 and 6) normally engaged over the adjustable upper end .68 ofthe push rod 6|, which is guided in a bracket 69. The rocker also carries a block 16 engageable by the hardened end H of an adjustable finger 12 carried by a bracket T3 at the end of each arm 9 of the carrier. This block 16 is mounted on a horizontal stem 76 carried by the rocker 65 and can yield slightly thereon against the resistance of springs 16 The rocker 65 normally occupies the position illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 in which it is held by a spring 65 which is lodged in a horizontal radial bore in the cover 4 and acts upon a pin 66 pro jecting downwardlyfrom an arm 65 of the rocker 65 into a vertical bore 61 in the said cover, the movement of the rocker 65 being limited by the freedom permitted. to the pin 66 in the bore 67 The arrangement is such that as a table 8 becomes correctly located over the ram 6, the bevelled end 1| oi the finger 12 contacts with a bevel 14 on the block 16 and causes the rocker 65 to turn (clockwise in Fig. 6) just sufficiently to disengage the pad 61 from the end v.68 of the push rod 6|. During this turning of the rocker 65, the end ii slides over the bevel 74 until the bevel '14 finally snaps back past the .end 1| under the influence of the springs 16. In the depressed position of the rod 6| and piston valve l5, the chamber 23 at the R. H. end of the selector valve I3 is cut ofi from the pressure-air supply 'via 44, 58 and is connected to exhaust via '64. In the uppermost position of the piston valve |5,to which is caused to rise when the push rod 6| is released, the ports 39 are open to the space 59, and pressure can .be communicated to the chamber 28 under the control of the pedal-operated valve M.

The carrier-turning cylinder 32, to which the communication of pressure is controlled from the L. H. end of the valve I3, has working in it a plunger 16 formed with a rack 11 which meshes with a pinion 18. A dog clutch for establishing a driving connection between the pinion i6 and a toothed wheel 19 meshing with the toothed ring l2 of the carrier is-operated by a piston 86 (Fig. 7) which works in the cylinder 36 arranged vertically below the pinion I8. The piston 96 serves also as a valve, controlling the communication of pressure to a return cylinder 8| by uncovering a port 82 leading to the latter through a pipe '83 when the piston is in the uppermost or clutch-releasing position. The piston 84 in the return cylinder, also formed with a rack 35 meshing with the pinion 18, in turn controls the communication of pressure via the pipe 53 to the pedal-return. cylinder 52 by uncovering a port 86. (Fig. 2).

The .dog clutch is arranged so that the dog member is always returned to the correct engaging position after each half turn, wherever the carrier 3 may stop in relation to the ram 6. A suitable arrangement for this purpose is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. The toothed wheel '59 has a boss 81 held against vertical movement in a fixed housing 88. The shaft 89 of the pinion 18 extends up through the wheel 19 and has an elongated dog member 96 at its upper end engageable with a complementary recess 9| in the wheel. The member 96 is normally held down in the engaging position illustrated Fig. 7 by a ri g of sp gs 92 acting between the boss 81 and a shoulder 93 on the shaft. 89... Formed in the upper part of the housing .88isan eccentric recess 94 (Fig. 8) into which project the heads 95 of two diametrically opposed plungers 8B, 95 slidable radially in thebossBl. and loaded outwardly into contact withthe wall of the recess by springs 91. Upon rotation of the. wheel'w.

these plungers 96 are caused to move radially in and out in alternation. In the raised, disengaged, position of the member 98, a radial pin 98 secured in a reduced portion of the shaft 89 can engage the inwardly projected plunger 99 which thus serves as'a stop.

The arrangement of the eccentricity is such that, when the wheel 13 has completed the anticlockwise half-revolution in which it drives the carrier 3 clockwise, the plunger against which the pin was last stopped (36 in Figs. 7 and 8) is now in the outwardly withdrawn position in which it can olfer no obstruction to the clockwise idle return half revolution of the shaft 89 with the dog member 90 in the raised and disengaged position. The other plunger (96), however, is in the projected positionand serves as a stop with which the pin 98 comes in contact (chain lines, Fig. 8) at the end of the idle movement. When the clutch is re-engaged, the pin descends out of contact with this plunger which, in the next driving movement, changes positions with the other plunger, the latter in its turn being projected to serve as a return stop, permitting proper re-engagement of the clutch irrespective of the precise position in which the table stops over the ram.

A dash-pot 99 is arranged to control and retard the later part of the driving motion of the plunger 16 in per se known manner.

The manner of operation of the press is as follows: Assume that the carrier 3 is at rest with the ram 6 holding pressure on one table 8 (Fig. 1) The selector valve I3 is to the left, the carrierinfluenced valve [5 is held in its lowermost position (both as shown inFigs. 1 and 3), and the clutch 90, 9| is engaged (as shown in Fig. 7). The pedal 41 is now depressed to supply pressure to the chamber 21 at the L. H. end of the selector valve and to the chamber 59 of the carrier- 3| and pipe 33. The ram 6 and the table 8 sink and the carrier is turned through 180 by a drive transmitted from the plunger 16 through the rack 11, pinion l8, shaft 89, clutch 98, 9!, and gearing 19, I2. The motion is retarded by the dash-pot 99 and, as the other table 8 comes to rest in position over the ram 6, the rocker is tripped by the finger 12 and the valve I5 is lifted by the pressure in the chamber 59. The snap action already described ensures that the rocker is left free of the finger 12, although it cannot return to its previous position at this stage because it is obstructed by the lifted rodend 58. Upon the lifting of the valve I5, pressure is communicated to the chamber 28 at the R. H. end of the selector valve 13 which immediately moves to the left (to the position of Fig. 3), as the head [6 is larger than the head i 8. The cylinder 32 is cut off from the pressure supply and connected to the exhaust via pipe 33 and ports 3|, 25. Pressure is communicated to the ram cylinder 4 via ports 22, 24 and the ram rises and lifts the table. Pressure is also communicated via port 34 and pipe 35 to the clutch cylinder 36 whose piston 80, in rising to release the clutch 90, 9|, allows pressure to be communicated 6. to the return cylinder 8| via port 82 and pipe 83. The' -piston 84 drives the pinion 18 reversely through the rack 85, thereby returning the piston 16 and clutch part towards their initial positions. At the end of. its stroke, the piston 84 causes pressure to be communicatedto the pedalreturn cylinder 52 via port 86 and pipe 53. The pedal 41 and its valve l4 are returned to their original positions, cutting 01f both ends 21, 28 of the selector valve l3 and the chamber 59 of the carrier-influenced valve lifrom the pressure and. connecting them to exhaust via the port 48. The carrier-influenced valve is returned to the depressed position by the spring 68, leaving the chamber 28 connected to exhaust and freeing the rocker 65 to be returned by the spring 65' to the valve-engaging position shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The whole press is now ready for the depression of the pedal 41 for a fresh cycle of operations.

The arrangement described requires no mechanism for locking the table carrier 3 in position before the ram 8 is raised.

I claim:

1. A garment press comprising a rotatable carrier with two pressing tables, a pressing ram, a fluid-pressure motor for turning the carrier to bring each table in turn into operative relation with the ram, a fluid-pressure motor for actuating the ram, a fluid-pressure supply system, a selector valve connected to the said system and the said motors and arranged directly to control the supply of fluid pressure to both the carrierturning motor and the ram-actuating motor, an operator-controlled device operatively connected to the said valve for moving said valve to one position for initiating a cycle of operation of the press, a device positioned for operation automatically by the carrier in dependence upon its position and operatively connected to the said valvefor moving said valve to another position for causing completion of the said cycle, a carrierturning gearing connected to the carrier-turning motor, a clutch arranged between the said gearing and the carrier, anda fluid-pressure clutchactuating motor connected to the selector valve, wherebythe communication of fluid pressure to the saidclutch-actuating motor is also controlled by the selector valve.

2. A press according to claim 1 and comprising afiuid-pressure motor connected to the carrier turninggearing for reversely driving the same, the selector valve being connected between the fluid pressure supply systemand the said motor, whereby the communication of fluid pressure to the said motor is controlled by the said selector valve. h

. 3. A pressaccording to claim 2, and in which the clutch-actuating motor is connected between the selector valve and the motor for reversely driving the carrier-turning gearing and is arranged also to control the communication of fluid pressure to the latter motor.

4. A garment press comprising a rotatable carrier with two pressing tables, a pressing ram, a fluid-pressure motor for turning the carrier to bring each table in turn into operative relation with the ram, a fluid-pressure motor for actuating the ram, a fluid-pressure supply system, a selector valve connected to the said system and the said motors and arranged directly to control the supply of fluid pressure to both the carrierturning motor and the ram-actuating motor, an operator-controlled device operatively connected to the said valve for moving said valve to one position for initiating a cycle of operation of the pressja device positioned :for operation automatically by the :carrier in dependence upon its position and operatively connected to the said valve for moving said valve to another position for causing completion of the said cycle, a pedaloperated valve and a carrier-influenced valve both connected to the fluid-pressure supply system and to the selector valve, the selector valve being arranged to be moved to the one position by fluid pressure controlled by the pedal operated valve and the other position by fluid pressure controlled by the carrier-influenced valve, and a fluid-pressure motor operatively associated with the pedal-operated valve for restoring it automatically to an inoperative position, the communication of fluid-pressure to'the said motor being controlled 'by the selector valve.

5. A press according to claim 4, wherein the motor for reversely driving the carrier-turning gearing is connected between the selector valve and the restoring motor for the pedal-operated valve and is arranged also to control the communication of fluid pressure to the latter motor.

6. A garment press comprising a rotatable carrier with two pressing tables, a pressing ram, a fluid-pressure motor for turning the carrier to bring each table in turn into operative relation with the ram, a fluid-pressure motor for actuating the ram, a fluid-pressure supply system, a selector valve connected to the said system and the said motors and arranged directly to control the supply of fluid pressure to both the carrierturning motor and the ram-actuating motor, an operator-controlled device operatively connected to the said Valve for moving said valve to one position for initiating a cycle of operation of the press, a device positioned for operation automatically by the carrier in dependence upon its position and operatively connected to the'said valve for moving said valve to another position for causing completion of the said cycle, a pedal-operated valve and a carrier-influenced valve both connected to the fluid-pressure supply system and to the selector valve, the selector valve being arranged to be moved to the one position by fluid pressure controlled by the pedal-operated valve and to the other position by fluid pressure controlled by the carrier-influenced valve, and a rocker engageable with the carrier-influenced valve for normally holding the latter in a position in which it cuts on fluid pressure from the selector valve, the said rocker being engageable by a part of the carrier and movable thereby to release the former valve so that it can be moved by fluid pressure to a position in which it passes fluid pressure to the latter valve.

'7. A press according to claim 6, and in which the carrier and the rocker are engageable by means of snap-action parts, one of which parts is adapted for moving quickly past the other as soon as the rocker has been moved to release the valve.

8. A garment press comprising a rotatable carrier with two pressing tables, a pressing ram, a fluid-pressure motor for turning the carrier to bring each table in turn into operative relation with the ram, a fluid-pressure motor for actuating the ram, a fluid-pressure supply system, a selector valve connected to the said system and the said motors and arranged directly to control the supply of fluid pressure to both the carrierturning motor and the ram-actuating motor, an operator-controlled device operatively connected to the said valve 'for moving said valve to one position for initiating a cycle of operation of the press, a device positioned for operation automatically by the carrier in dependence upon its position and operatively connected to the said valve for moving said valve to another position for causing completion of the said cycle, a carrier-turning gearing connected to the carrierturning motor, a clutch arranged between the said gearing and the carrier, and a fluid-pressure clutch-actuating motor connected to the selector valve, whereby the communication of fluidpressure to the said clutch-actuating motor is also controlled by the selector valve, the clutch being a positively acting clutch and comprising stop means for locating one part of the disengaged clutch for correct re-engagement with the other part at the end of idle return movement of the carrier-turning gearing.

9. Apress according to claim 8, and in which the clutch-locating means comprises an abutment associated with the part of the clutch connected to the carrier-turning gearing and engageable, in the disengaged condition of the clutch, alternately with alternately retracted and projected stops associated with the part of the clutch connected to the carrier, the said stops being arranged to be incapable of engagement when the clutch is in the engaged condition.

10. A press according to claim 9, and in which the retraction and projection of the stops is controlled by an eccentric annular track over which the said stops are moved with the clutch part connected to the carrier.

JOHN SIMPSON, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,997,219 Johnson a Apr. 9, 1935 2,050,612 Johnson Aug. 11, 1936 2,189,215 Malott, Jr Feb. 6, 1940 2,202,483 Dewey May 28, 1940 

